Terrorism And Terrorism: The Use Of Terrorism

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Terrorism, in its broadest sense, describes the use of intentionally indiscriminate violence as a means to create terror, or fear, in order to achieve a political, religious or ideological aim. Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, terrorism has been a raging concern worldwide with continued attacks around the world by religious extremists. The question that arises after one sees how thousands of terrorists are being born with time is that are the terrorists simply fanatics to be defeated, or is terrorism a consequence of global injustices? Another important thing to know is if we can prevent terrorism without undermining civil liberties. Political violence has always been a feature of human society, but terrorism as we know it has its roots in…show more content…
It is often used, both by governments and non-state-groups, to abuse or denounce opposing groups. Only relatively recently have there been attempts to define “terrorism” as clearly as we define murder, robbery, or rape. Germany’s internal security agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, says terrorism is the “enduringly conducted struggle for political goals, which are intended to be achieved by means of assaults on the life and property of other persons, especially by means of severe crimes [such as murder, kidnapping, arson].” The British “Prevention of Terrorism Act” of 1974 described terrorism as “the use of violence for political ends, and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public or any section of the public in fear.” The U.S. State Department treats as terrorism any violence perpetrated for political reasons by subnational groups or secret state agents, often directed at non-combatant targets, and usually intended to influence an audience. The Indian government uses the following working definition of terrorism, same as one widely used by Western nations as well as the United Nations, proposed by Schmid and Jongman in…show more content…
The field of terrorism studies broadly encompasses both terrorism as a particular activity involving the infliction of harm for specified purposes, and counter-terrorism, involving practices and institutions concerned with defining and responding to terrorism. It is the unique area of criminology that focuses on terrorism as a form of criminal behaviour and on counter-terrorism as social control. Criminological examinations also focus on the dynamic interplay between terrorism and counter-terrorism to offer a unique perspective in the wider field of studies examining terrorism and terrorism-related phenomena. The study of these phenomena is itself a part of the authentic understanding of terrorism and counter-terrorism with regard to social

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